KISSING Synonyms: 61 Similar and Opposite Words

kissing

verb

present participle of kiss

as in cuddling

to touch one another with the lips as a sign of love it's traditional for couples to kiss under the mistletoe at Christmastime

Synonyms & Similar Words

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as in brushing

to pass lightly across or touch gently especially in passing a gentle breeze kissing the water's surface

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of kissing In the trailer, Reinhart‘s Olive is shown spontaneously kissing Bateman‘s Adam — a notable Easter egg to the book cover of Hazelwood‘s bestseller — so her best friend Anh can see them. — Lexy Perez, HollywoodReporter, 26 Aug. 2026 Among the snapshots were lots of sweet moments with Turner, including photos of the actor kissing her on the cheek as the newlyweds enjoyed time together in the countryside. — Alicia Urrea, Billboard, 25 Aug. 2026 She was most recently linked to businessman Tim Sykes, whom she was photographed kissing at the US Open last year. — Julia Moore, PEOPLE, 25 Aug. 2026 Watts went first, posting a snapshot of McCollough kissing his head to Instagram. — Cheyenne Roundtree, Rolling Stone, 20 Aug. 2026 Lee continued to put her huge new diamond ring front and center, posing with her hand over her mouth and holding it out while kissing Post Malone, in photos shared by other friends on Instagram. — Lara Walsh, InStyle, 20 Aug. 2026 The New York Post reported in April that Gomez was seen kissing a member of another office's congressional staff in 2023. — Eric McDaniel, NPR, 17 Aug. 2026 The New York Post reported in April that Gomez, a married five-term congressman, was spotted in 2023 kissing a much younger staffer from another office. — Ben Wieder, Los Angeles Times, 17 Aug. 2026 Stewart and Meyer hard-launched their romance back in 2019, when Meyer shared a Polaroid picture of them kissing via Instagram. — Shania Russell, Entertainment Weekly, 11 Aug. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for kissing

Verb

The proud mom shared pictures of her and Green cuddling their little one in the hospital room, concealing the newborn’s face in the snaps.

— Kayla Grant, PEOPLE, 21 Aug. 2026
Among pictures of the couple cuddling their baby boy, the proud mother also shared a photo of Pinault introducing Hayek to her newborn grandson.

— Chanel Vargas, InStyle, 14 Aug. 2026

Definition of cuddling

Verb

This hermetic secrecy is how Allure beauty director Sarah Kinonen and I recently found ourselves in the bathroom of a suite in the Aman hotel on New York’s Fifth Avenue, brushing our teeth while members of the Dyson public relations team looked on.

— Jenny Bailly, Allure, 1 Sep. 2026
Protect tooth enamel by rinsing your mouth afterward and not brushing immediately.

— Sherri Gordon, HEALTH, 1 Sep. 2026

Definition of brushing

Verb

The vinyl edition comes with some special gatefold artwork that appears to show Winter smooching Carnegie Hall’s namesake and builder, Andrew Carnegie.

— Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 19 Aug. 2026
The late-night host has been on a hilarious smooching spree during his second-to-last week on the air, kissing several guests in recent days.

— Brendan Morrow, USA Today, 13 May 2026

Definition of smooching

Verb

The skillet will be quite full, with the edges of the wrappers touching or slightly overlapping.

— Kate Williams, AJC.com, 31 Aug. 2026
Clean and sanitize surfaces these animals touch, and wash your hands thoroughly before handling food, touching common surfaces or touching your mouth or face.

— Kimberly Baker, The Conversation, 31 Aug. 2026

Definition of touching

Verb

As the end approached, families moved out, one at a time, hugging and saying goodbyes to each other outside their dorms.

— Robert McCoppin, Chicago Tribune, 28 Aug. 2026
Lively included photos of herself embracing Reynolds, as well as a picture where she could be seen hugging one of her daughters.

— Hannah Malach, InStyle, 21 Aug. 2026

Definition of hugging

Verb

Her arc mirrored that of my Mexican immigrant parents, who were also mountain people who grew up in big farming families with no plumbing or electricity, snuggling with siblings during winter nights in unheated bedrooms.

— Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 26 Aug. 2026
Sterling could be seen snuggling up to her father as Bronze sat on his lap, while Patrick appeared to be tickling Golden, who lay next to mom Brittany in a flamingo print onesie.

— Kirsty Hatcher, PEOPLE, 18 Aug. 2026